The deer hunter
by MrsCuddles
Summary: Paige is about to go hunting. Post 2x02. Inspired by Femme Fatale.


**A/N: I wrote this a while ago, so any reference to Mike's addiction is really just a coincidence.**

 **WARNING: RANT TO FOLLOW, JUST SKIP AHEAD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT.**

* * *

Mike stood at Paige's door and leaned against the jamb. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at her back as she sat at her desk, getting ready for the night.

She stuck her smooth leg in the black knee-high boot, slowly lowering her foot to the ground and tapping the heel of the shoe on the floor. The material was like a second skin to her toned leg.

Mike almost choked on his own spit when she got rid of a lock of blonde hair, tucking it behind her ear, and revealed a great portion of cleavage in the process. He wondered how she was even able to breathe in her tiny black dress that seemed to be squeezing the life out of her. Her long gold chain disappeared between her breasts and he let his eyes linger a little longer on her until he met her mischievous look. Her eyes sparkled in amusement when she caught him staring, clearly flustered at the sight of her spilling out of her dress.

"Need something?"

Just like before, her right leg slipped easily into the boot and she stood up. Twirling around to give him a good look, Paige adjusted her short dress and smoothed it down with her hands. Mike's eyes followed the path her fingers made until they stopped mid-thigh, at the hem of her dress. A messy black scrap of fabric that he wouldn't mind taking off of her right now if she didn't have to close her last case tonight.

The breath caught in his throat and he quickly closed the door he only now realized was still open. That dress fit her so well that it should be illegal. Only a few days in and he was already hooked up on her.

The thin laces crossing over her body and arms showed glimpses of bronze skin that stood out under the black fabric. His eyes made a quick run down her spine when she spun around, appreciating the way her short skirt wrapped tightly around the soft curve of her backside. He swallowed tightly, lifting his head and meeting her sly eyes in the mirror. With his back straightened up, he tried to regain whatever little composure he had and cleared his throat.

"You're meeting Vargas at the club?" Mike asked, unable to hide his smirk when she leaned over to adjust herself and apply the last touches to her make up. What did he get himself into? Just hours before those same legs were tangled around his, he should've known Paige would quickly become his first and probably last addiction. That woman was incredible. "Or are you just going out hunting?"

Paige rolled her eyes and puckered her red lips to check herself in the mirror. Not quite satisfied with her look, she snatched the first pair of bracelets she saw scattered over her desk. She raised an eyebrow as she examined them before putting them on. Standing back up, she fixed her hair and turned around, one hand on her barely covered hip - her fingers playing with the strings.

The look Mike was giving her... it made her wish _he_ was her target tonight.

"How do I look?"

"Like you're just about to kill me."

Paige's malicious grin sensually faded away once she was close enough to slip her fingers between the buttons of his shirt. Tugging fiercely, she pulled him closer and let her lips linger teasingly over his.

Sooner or later she'd rip one of his stupid shirts off if he kept looking at her that way.

"No need for hunting, I'm already stoked up on deers."

Just when Mike was about to engulf her mouth in one breathtaking kiss, messing up her perfectly applied lipstick, Paige whirled around and turned her back to him.

He mentally cursed himself. What was he thinking, coming to say hi before going to bed? Everybody in the house knew about her case. Vargas was huge, if there was one person that could take him down, that was Paige. But he didn't expect to be back at her mercy the minute he stepped into her room. Rubbing his neck, Mike tried to avoid staring at her more than he was supposed to. The last thing he wanted was to ruin his night by getting all hot and bothered only to be left alone, knowing Paige would be out seducing Vargas the way she had just seduced him.

However, since he couldn't touch, he figured watching her get ready to destroy that scum's life would be just as nice.

Sitting down, Mike's fingers ran over the files scattered all over her bed.

"How many of these do you have?"

Mike held up a few of her fake ID's. He furrowed his eyebrows when she barely glanced at him with a side smile.

She had to admit his curiosity was one of the things that made him so sexy in her eyes.

"That's not even half of the props I've got. Mhmmm." Paige replied, using her thumb to swipe off a smear of red lipstick at the corner of her mouth.

"How many times have you done this? I mean, you're so good at your job, I'm sure there are other ways to-"

The sincerity in his voice made her heart skip a beat for a second. How long had it been since somebody cared enough to ask stuff about her? She didn't even seem to remember.

Working undercover didn't left her much choice. That was the life she had chosen. At work, sometimes she would run tactical and sometimes she had to get her hands dirty to get things done. Just like there was no gray in her life either, it was all black and white: she either faked and picked somebody up at the bar, or she stayed real and chose somebody working with her.

Apart from the casual flings of the past three years, this was the first time Paige dated a fellow federal agent that took her as seriously as Mike did.

"Mike," Sighing, she dropped her purse next to him and briefly smoothed her hands over his shoulders. She couldn't help but think about how good that made her feel. To have somebody worrying about her, even if there was no need to. It was something that she'd missed in the long run and she secretly liked the look of slight adoration Mike was giving her. Not that he would have to know. "I lived many lives I had to forget, I don't even bother to count anymore."

Those words left her lips void of any sort of emotion. It was true. That was her job. A job she liked and was good at. A job that required taking the good with the bad.

Mike watched her smoothe invisible creases on her skirt: he wondered if she ever got lost beyond the line of fiction and lost track of her emotions, if they ever crumbled under the weight of her fake identities.

As hardcore as Paige could seem to be, Mike knew she had a big heart and that even if she didn't show it, her emotions were in jeopardy every time she went out to fight the evil.

One of her hand stroked his cheek and the other threaded through his hair, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Don't you ever get tired of it, though?"

Memories were indelible stains, the more people tried to remove them, the more vivid they could become. He experienced it first hand when Eddie shoot himself - he still had nightmares from that day.

"Yes, but it's something I have to do." Paige remarked, but Mike noticed that her voice softened, like she was trying to convince both him and herself. "You can either forget or drown in sorrow, there is no in-between."

"There should be. All these lies..."

"It's our job, Mike."

"I know." He whispered, trailing his fingers up her side with a faraway look on his face. "I just wish there was another way, that's all."

Her hard stare made him lower his eyes. He rubbed his thumb over the picture of one of her false ID's. There was a slightly younger Paige, her face was a little chubbier but her green eyes were just as intense, staring straight ahead of her. Stubbornly.

Her hair were a dark shade of black with blue highlights, styled in a wedge cut that framed her face perfectly. That unseen version of Paige made him realize how little he knew about her and how much he craved to get to know her. The real her, not just one of her many aliases.

"Who are you now?"

A few seconds passed in silence and Paige couldn't help but give in when she saw that look of uncertainty flashing through his eyes. Letting out a breathy chuckle, Paige smiled softly and cupped the back of his head, catching his attention.

"Just Paige." She whispered, pecking him lightly on the lips.

That was the most she was willing to give him, as honest as she could be.

Standing between his legs, she felt Mike's hands sneak around her waist to pull her close. Her thumbs lingered on his cheeks and their lips touched a few more times.

"Just Paige," Mike tested it on his lips and smiled back before giving her one more peck. "I like her."


End file.
